Don't know if this has been mentioned round these parts (apologies if it has) but I recently came across the Comic Vine website. Worth checking it out I reckon.
Interesting to see the covers of the Eagle, 'Quality' and Fleetway 2000AD reprints for the US market which I don't see on Barney. (I say nick their images Wake as it seems that they have nicked Barney's.)
I think the first Eagle Comics versions were excellent with brilliant original covers by 2000AD greats. The cover designs, while nothing groundbreaking were solid and well considered. I have all of them I think.
http://www.comicvine.com/judge-dredd/49-3284/ (http://www.comicvine.com/judge-dredd/49-3284/)
http://www.comicvine.com/2000-ad-monthly/49-3702/ (http://www.comicvine.com/2000-ad-monthly/49-3702/)
Then the comics moved to Quality Comics and Fleetway and I think it is fair to say that things went downhill to say the least. Some very, very ropey front covers there. I gave up after the Eagle Comics period. The Quality Comics have to be some of the most poorly produced comics ever. I remember the bad quality printing and stretched internal artwork. Criminal.
http://www.comicvine.com/judge-dredd/49-3928/ (http://www.comicvine.com/judge-dredd/49-3928/)
The Nemesis reprints were a treat as Kevin O'neill added frames to the internal artwork for the taller format of the reprints. And his covers were outstanding.
http://www.comicvine.com/nemesis-the-warlock/49-3423/ (http://www.comicvine.com/nemesis-the-warlock/49-3423/)
Spellbinders? What on Earth were they thinking?
http://www.comicvine.com/spellbinders/49-3762/ (http://www.comicvine.com/spellbinders/49-3762/)
The site is not intuitive so worth clicking around and using the search box for different 2000AD related stuff.
(//http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/4/23987-3702-26721-1-2000-a-d-_super.jpg)
Ah, there's an image of Thoth in an egg. I was looking for reference material of baby Thoth for the Easter Egg art thread and gave up.
(//http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/4/22667-3423-25285-1-nemesis-the-warlock_super.jpg)
Darn it! Meant to add this topic in General.
Those McMahon Dredd covers are outstanding!
The one with Fergie smackin Dredd with the bat is one of my all time fave covers of all time.
I think Rufus has the original of that.
Aye. All those Bolland covers were cracking.
Barney can always help... (//http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=reprint&page=usprofiles&choice=edredd2)
(//http://www.2000ad.org/covers/usreprints/hires/edredd9.jpg)
Yes, Uncle Umpty, the Dredd/Fergie cover is a classic.
Ah, thanks Cosh, I thought they weren't on Barney.
My only problem with the Eagle Comics series (and I guess that counts for the subsequent ones) was that the episode headings and the 'next prog...' captions were removed to make for a continuous uninterrupted read which I guess had to be done for the US marked. But this seemed to mess up the flow of the stories.
I used to get some of the Quality Comics ones as a kid, and some of them seemed to start or end abruptly. It was only later that I discovered they used to remove final pages (especially if the original was a half-page) almost at random, and often 'started' series part-way into the original 2000 AD series.
Things got a little better towards the end, but even the two-issue Armitage is missing a two-page spread.
I remember buying and reading a few of these back in the late 80s or whenever it was but i was put off by the artwork that had been compressed and distorted so it would fit the page and the horrible colouring that was added to the B+W strips just to supposedly make them more readable for the US market.The quality of the reproduction of the artwork that had been compressed was the worst i have ever seen.